2008-09 List of Instructors and Staff
(as of July 14, 2008)

Group and Private Lesson Instructors

Leena Devlin, Instructor/Facilitator,has been involved in all aspects of theater for more than 25 years, including numerous onstage roles such as Fanny Brice in FUNNY GIRL and Maggie the Cat in CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF. Leena did her undergraduate work at Shenandoah Conservatory of Music in Winchester, VA, and then went to New York and did a two year certificate program at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy. She has spent many years working at various community theaters, most notably serving on the Board at Barley Sheaf Players in Exton, PA. Through her theater career, she has functioned in almost every backstage role including stage manager, producer and director.

Christine D. Cieplinski, Instructor, is an actress, director, producer, corporate trainer, and President of Cherry Herring Entertainment Company where she oversees the development/production of plays, touring shows, customized event/fundraising entertainment, DJ/Karaoke/Sound and their Catering division. You may have seen her in CHEC’s hilarious touring production, PARALLEL LIVES Lives: THE KATHY AND MO SHOW. Among other things, she’s worked Off-Broadway as a Sound Designer, regionally as a Costume Designer for the Montgomery Theater, locally as the Organizer/Producer of V-Day Greater Reading, a campaign that utilizes THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES to raise awareness and money to aide sexual abuse victims. Holding a Master’s Degree in Education, she teaches aspiring actors of all ages at Village Productions, Wyomissing Institute of Fine Arts, and the Gateway School for Performing Arts. For fifteen years, she was the Clinical Director of a family therapy agency whereby she came to develop a series of workshops called “Acting Out!”, a program that utilizes Theater Arts to help kids work on social skills, conflict resolution, and self-esteem building.  Her favorite role, by far, is directing teens and adults in poignant plays that attempt to raise social awareness like AND THEN THEY CAME FOR ME: REMEMBERING THE WORLD OF ANNE FRANK and FREE TO BE YOU AND ME. 

Melissa Dunphy, Instructor, was born and raised in Brisbane and Sydney, Australia, where she had over ten years of drama training specializing in Shakespeare, vocal production, and teaching techniques. Her education culminated in an Associate Diploma in Speech and Drama from Trinity College of London and accreditation in Speech and Drama from the Australian Music Examinations Board. She was the senior champion of the Brisbane Eisteddfod in Speech and Drama in 1996, and the McDonald’s Performing Arts open champion in Speech and Drama in 1997, prestigious competitions involving the performance of classical and modern monologues and poetry. Since moving to Pennsylvania in 2003, she has appeared with the Harrisburg Shakespeare Festival, Gamut Theatre, Theater of the Seventh Sister, Open Stage of Harrisburg, and the Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival, playing mostly Shakespearean roles such as Juliet, Ophelia, Ariel, King Lear’s Fool, Perdita, Hotspur, and Marina in Pericles. She has also performed extensively with the Popcorn Hat Players Children’s Theatre, where she was a core company member. As an educator, Melissa has led semester-long theater classes for children and teens and workshops for college students at Gamut Theatre, participated in resident workshops at high schools throughout Pennsylvania as part of Theatre of the Seventh Sister’s outreach program, and heads the theatre program at the Lionville YMCA. Melissa is also an accomplished musician; she plays the violin, viola, cello, and piano, and is currently completing a degree in Music Theory and Composition at West Chester University. Her composition for Baritone, “Black Thunder,” was performed at the Kimmel Center with Network for New Music in January 2008.

B.J. Ellis, Instructor, is the Executive Director of The N Crowd, a short form improv comedy troupe that produces a weekly improv show in Philadelphia. Since being cast the troupe at its inception in April of 2005, B.J. has helped the troupe perform over 200 times in the Philadelphia area. Although originally cast as a performer, B.J. has assumed several positions within The N Crowd over its history including the Assistant Production Manager, Company Manager, and Business Manager before taking over the reins of Executive Director in December, 2007. As Executive Director, B.J. handles the troupe's satellite bookings, updates the website, and maintains the financial records, publicity, and other logistical needs. Before his involvement with The N Crowd, B.J. was the director and host of Edinboro University's Deviant Behavior, a weekly short form improv troupe produced by University Players, the student lead theater club. Today, B.J. is widely regarded as one of the top short form specialists in Philadelphia.

Christine Emmert, Instructor/Facilitator, has been involved in theatre since being cast in THE DEVIL'S DISCIPLE fifty years ago at the Swarthmore Players Club. Since that time, the stage has consumed her world -- she is an actress, playwright, director, and theatre educator. She studied with the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, and two years with Tamara Daykarhanova of the Moscow Arts Theatre by invitation. She has won awards in both playwrighting and acting. As an actress she appeared with Village Productions in MRS BOB CRATCHIT'S WILD CHRISTMAS BINGE, QUILTERS and LETTICE AND LOVAGE. She most recently portrayed the famous actress Eleanora Duse in DYING IN PITTSBURGH at the DC Fringe this summer. For the last three years she has been attending The Last Frontier Theatre Conference in Alaska as both an actress and playwright. This year her plays CHANGELINGS and THE RAFT OF MEDUSA were presented. While living in Colorado, Ms. Emmert ran the theatre department at Front Range College and also worked at Red Rocks College teaching Playwrghting, Acting, History of Theatre, Introduction to Theatre Arts, Public Speaking, and Humanities. Her work has been published in the US, Canada and the United Kingdom. Ms. Emmert believes in the traditions of the stage and has always taken time to coach actors of all ages. She is a volunteer for Recording for the Blind and lives in Valley Forge. Christine is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America and the International Center for Women Playwrights. Currently she is busy penning HIGH TEA. She has a BA in Anthropology and an MHA in Humanities with an emphasis in Theatre, both from University of Colorado.

Russ Ferrara, Group and Private Guitar Instructor, began his musical career forty five years ago at age eight as a soprano soloist in the church based Pueri Cantores. He began guitar studies at age twelve and by the age of nineteen was performing a mix of blues, jazz, folk and instrumental guitar music at college and university coffeehouses. It was at this time that he developed an interest in classical guitar and set out on a course that would take him to Philadelphia for a twenty five year professional career. As a member of The Philadelphia Guitar Ensemble, Mr. Ferrara performed throughout the Eastern Seaboard, recorded a historically important album of music for four guitars and won a grant from the Pennsylvania Arts Council to perform new music for four guitars by Pennsylvania Composers. An artist's residency with the Philadelphia Guitar Ensemble at Drexel University led to an appointment which eventually became a full time teaching position which he held for ten years. Mr. Ferrara's eclecticism took him from the symphonic stage (Reading Symphony, University of Pennsylvania Contemporary Players) to jazz and rock recording sessions to medieval and renaissance music Swarthmore College Collegium Musicum, Pifarro). In the early nineties he pioneered the use of MIDI technology and synthesizers as applied to the guitar in a polyphonic setting and remains a leader among classical guitarists in the use of this technology. During his time at Drexel University, Mr. Ferrara developed a curriculum for guitar inspired by aerobics exercise classes. This curriculum proved to be highly successful in developing a strong technique for guitar players in a very short time. Mr. Ferrara has held teaching positions at East Stroudsburg University, Immaculata College, Eastern College, Bucks County Community College, and the University of the Sciences.

Patti Garver, Instructor/Facilitator, has a Master of Science degree in Pastoral Care and Counseling and a B.S. in Business/Liberal Arts from Neumann College in Aston, PA. She has also obtained certificates in psychodrama/constellation therapy, holistic assessment, energy awareness training and spiritual mentorship. She has counseling experience in both private and hospice settings. In addition, she has studied voice, dance, and piano and has performed with many local theater and singing organizations. She is currently a member of the acclaimed Valley Forge Chorus of Sweet Adelines International and is in the process of writing a children's play. She also teaches adult classes at Neumann College. Her belief is that creativity and the creative arts offer a path to selfexpression, intuition, imagination, and inner awareness, which can lead to a more functional, joyful, and meaningful life.

Robb Hutter, Instructor and Senior Theater Director, brings thirty years of professional experience as an actor, director and teacher. He is also Artistic Director of Philly Senior Stage, bringing the thrill of theatre performance to older adults in the greater Philadelphia region. Mr. Hutter was Artistic Director of Temple University’s Full Circle Intergenerational Theatre, where he wrote and directed interactive theatre pieces on issues as diverse as healthy aging, sexual harassment and team work. He specializes in devising original theatre pieces from the life experiences of diverse population groups such as mental health patients at Queen Street Hospital in Toronto, Palestinian and Israeli youth in Israel, and Innuit Eskimos in Alberta, Canada. While recruiting older actors for a senior theatre in Mankato, Minnesota, Robb helped a group of elderly women transform their plight of neglect by the governmental housing authority into a musical theatre production which galvanized an audience to appeal to the city council to remedy the situation on the elders’ behalf. As an actor, Robb's credits include performing off-Broadway with the American Shakespeare Repertory, in Toronto in Noel Coward's PRIVATE LIVES, The Seahorse at Cherry Creek Rep in Minnesota, commedia dell'arte street theatre in Jerusalem and morality plays in Fountain Abbey, England. Robb received his Master of Fine Arts degree in acting from York University in Toronto. There he created and performed a one-man stage show, MY REUVEN, which was adapted into a film, winning Robb the Best Actor Award at the Montreal Film Festival in 1985. His acting training also includes voice workshops with the Roy Hart Theatre in Paris and improvisation with Paul Sills in New York. Additionally, Robb is trained in psychodrama.

Elisa Matthews, Private Voice Instructor, is an active soloist in musical theater, opera and oratorio. Locally she has appeared with The Opera Company of Philadelphia, OperaDelaware, Center City Opera Theater, The Arden Theatre Company, People's Light and Theatre Company, Prince Music Theater, and Peter Nero and the Philly Pops. Elisa moved to Philadelphia after graduating from Penn State University with a Master of Music degree in Voice Performance and Pedagogy, and has taught voice and directed musicals throughout the area. She is a voice professor at Valley Forge Christian College and voice coach/director at Kimberton Waldorf School. In 2006, Elisa taught voice and directed opera scenes at Crescendo Summer Institute in Sarospatak, Hungary. She enjoys teaching singers of all abilities and fosters a warm and supportive studio environment. Beginning singers focus on the building blocks of technique: posture, breathing and legato singing. Song study (from classical to Broadway) will support technical work and build knowledge of repertoire.

Scott Minor, Instructor and Director, graduated from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Musical Theater. Scott is originally from CA and has performed and directed children’s theater in many states throughout the country. Scott is passionate about teaching drama, particularly Shakespeare, to children in order to help them build life skills that will serve them in every future endeavor. In 1999, Scott founded his own theater company, Developing Stages, teaching Shakespeare performance to children as young as 9 and has been doing it ever since. Last Spring, Scott performed in his first show with Village Productions: A GRAND NIGHT FOR SINGING. Other performing credits include Littlechap in STOP THE WORLD, I WANT TO GET OFF!, Frederick in THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, Robert in COMPANY, Al in A CHORUS LINE, Jesus and Judas in  JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, and Neville in THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD. Scott lives in Pottstown with his wife Becky and their three boys, Riley, Gabriel and Benjamin.

Scott Maxwell Schaediger, Instructor, is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in NYC. He was also invited to be a member of the Academy Company in 1993-1994. Scott has appeared in off Broadway theater and the film FIREBIRDS. He has appeared on WALKER, TEXAS RANGER, ALL MY CHILDREN, and MELROSE PLACE as well as industrial films and a commercial for "Budweiser". Locally Scott has worked with Cherry Herring Entertainment in the role of Tyler Moss in the play CROSSING DELANCEY. He also played Chief Bromden in Genesius Theater’s production of ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST, and is currently in rehearsal to play Juror #8 in the play 12 ANGRY MEN also with Genesius. For Village Productions, Scott teaches improv and acting techniques at an after school program at the Pottstown Middle School. Christine Schroth, Instructor, Choral Director, is a lyric mezzo soprano, puppeteer, actor, and artist. Christine completed her formal vocal training in Vienna, Austria, at the Wiener Konservatorium (Certificate of Vocal Arts) where she participated in both Lieder and Opera programs. Her extensive acting experience was honed at Studio 68 in London, England. Christine attended Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, where she studied with New York City Opera’s Diane Curry. She has performed as a soloist with chamber and oratorio societies throughout the Philadelphia area. While in Europe, she collaborated in puppet productions presented in Austria and Italy, and has built and staged productions in local area schools and churches. She has also taught puppet workshops with Mt. Airy Friends School. With the Newman College Children’s Theater Series, she developed and directed the RELUCTANT DRAGON, and adapted and directed excerpts of ALICE IN WONDERLAND using puppets, poetry, and choral settings for an inter-generational cast of performers. Christine has taught Music Appreciation and Chorus in the American International School in Vienna and has taught voice privately. Currently, Christine is the Music Director at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County.

Christine Schroth, Instructor, Choral Director, is a lyric mezzo soprano, puppeteer, actor, and artist. Christine completed her formal vocal training in Vienna, Austria, at the Wiener Konservatorium (Certificate of Vocal Arts) where she participated in both Lieder and Opera programs. Her extensive acting experience was honed at Studio 68 in London, England. Christine attended Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, where she studied with New York City Opera’s Diane Curry. She has performed as a soloist with chamber and oratorio societies throughout the Philadelphia area. While in Europe, she collaborated in puppet productions presented in Austria and Italy, and has built and staged productions in local area schools and churches. She has also taught puppet workshops with Mt. Airy Friends School. With the Newman College Children’s Theater Series, she developed and directed the RELUCTANT DRAGON, and adapted and directed excerpts of ALICE IN WONDERLAND using puppets, poetry, and choral settings for an inter-generational cast of performers. Christine has taught Music Appreciation and Chorus in the American International School in Vienna and has taught voice privately. Currently, Christine is the Music Director at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County.

Jason Schafer-Valerius, Private Piano Instructor, has been an active musician for over 30 years and returned to graduate school at West Chester University in 2005, studying piano with Dr. Richard Veleta. There he performed on many honors recitals, and graduated with a Masters in Music in Piano Performance in 2008. Jason was one of only two WCU graduate students invited that year to join the local chapter of Pi Kappa Lambda as music honorary. Jason was raised in Manhattan, Kansas, where he was named the outstanding musician of his graduating class in high school, studying piano with Dr. Robert Edwards at Kansas State University for several years. Jason was a piano competition winner in both high school and college, performing in honors recitals and receiving the KSU faculty honor of Outstanding Student Musician for each of his four consecutive undergraduate years. While majoring in Piano Performance, he also minored in Vocal Performance, assisting as substitute conductor for the KSU Concert Choir and performing the role of Ferrando in several performances of a college production of Mozart’s COSE FAN TUTTE. After receiving his BM in Piano and Vocal Performance, he continued to study music composition at KSU, and has composed pieces for voice, choir, chamber instruments and ensembles. Some of his compositions won state competitions and went on to compete at the national level. Jason continues to perform in and around West Chester, and currently balances his full time job with private instruction.

Joanna Schmitt, Instructor, hails from Rochester, New York, where she graduated from the State University of New York College at Brockport with a Bachelor’s degree in Directing & Acting. Since 2001 Joanna has worked professionally at theatres in New York, Atlanta, Orlando, Philadelphia, Tampa, and Sydney, Australia. Her primary focus as both a teacher and a performer has been Johnstonian narrative improvisational theatre. Joanna trained in narrative improv with Dad’s Garage Theatre Company in Atlanta and her improv credits include: Geva Comedy Improv (ensemble), The Apothecary (one half of the two-person group), Bombardier (ensemble), Asskite (one half of the two-person group), La Bon de Rue (one half of the two-person group), the University of Florida’s Business Leadership Improv Troupe (ensemble), Sydney University’s Improv Troupe (ensemble), the Hedgerow Theatre Improv Group (director/coach), Malarkey Jargon (director/coach), Dad’s Garage Theatre Company (ensemble), the Tumbling Daughter (one half of the two-woman group), and the ZuM SPieL Traveling Improv School (founder/manager). She currently travels and teaches regular workshops including An Introduction to Narrative Improv & Storytelling, Spontaneity, Synchronicity, and Advanced Improv Technique (also known as How to Be Five Again), Theories of Improv, A Gentleman’s Game: The Importance of Charm and Graciousness in Improvisational Theatre, and How to Give Up: The Social Status of Status in the United States.

Mike Shoeman, Instructor, is an instructor, actor, and Life Coach specializing in the actor's personal and career development. Most recently he completed the theatrical production of ALMOST, MAINE with Village Productions, which was directed by Brian Drillinger of the prestigious Larry Moss Studios in Los Angeles, CA. Mike created and produced AMERICAN ACTOR, the first fully interactive reality show, last year for New Century Television. Serving as Producer for Cultivating Intuition for Actors, Mike has enjoyed working with instructor Scott Evans and Mike Lemon Casting. After realizing one of his greatest dreams, that of facilitating successful dramatic acting workshops for the mental health industry, Mike brings the lessons and stories learned from those experiences to his Will to ACT programs. In addition to teaching with Village Productions, Mike has taught through Stage Coach Schools, Totem Pole Playhouse, Cumberland Valley School of Music and the Harrisburg Opera Company. Mike has guest lectured for The Philadelphia Independent Film Festival, The Institute for Spiritual Entertainment of Los Angeles, and through Mike Lemon Casting. He has an extensive performance resume that spans 20 years acting in all genres: Drama, Sketch Comedy, Shakespeare, Improv, Farce, Film and Musicals. He is an acting coach who employs the Meisner Technique and original forms of Creative Improvisation.

Mary Lee Slemmer, Instructor, has had a passion for music, singing, and movement that has led her to a life of teaching, directing, and performing. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Moravian College and continued studying voice and music education, earning her Master’s Equivalency Certification through study at Villanova University, West Chester University, Southeastern Massachusetts University, The Aspen Choral Institute in Aspen, Colorado, and in private lessons. Her love of dance and music led her to summer dance camps in Massachusetts and West Virginia where she concentrated on English Country Dancing, Contra Dance, and piano accompaniment of English Dance. She is a professional soloist at St Peter’s Church in the Great Valley in Malvern, PA. Other professional experience singing soprano includes St. Martin–In-The-Fields Church in Chestnut Hill and The COLLEGIUM MUSICUM of the University of Pennsylvania. Mary Lee has taught extensively in the public schools, most recently in the Perkiomen Valley School District, Collegeville, PA. Her experience also includes directing the Preparatory Chorus of the Bel Canto Children’s Chorus, Red Hill, PA. Since childhood, the sound of children singing beautifully has remained her inspiration, and singing and dancing to delightful music, her desire.

John D. Smitherman, Group Instructor, Private Voice Instructor, has been a professional singer/actor, concert artist, and director for over 25 years. He joins us with a multitude of professional performing awards including two Apple Awards (Central Florida region) for Best Actor in a Musical, a Carbonell Award (Southwest Florida region), a Handy Award (Sarasota County, FL, including the Asolo, Florida Studio Theatre, and Golden Apple), a Salt Award (Syracuse, NY area), and two prestigious Grandview Awards (West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky regions) for Best Actor in a Musical. He was honored this past millennium by being chosen as one of the original Three American Tenors after a nationwide search conducted by Green Key Productions, culminating in 3 years of concert performances along the East Coast. Along with his more than 100 different roles on both the professional opera and musical theatre stages, John has the distinction of having performed the title role of Phantom in three different versions of the work (Webber, Yeston/Kopit, and Bell) as well as an award- winning performance as the title role(s) in Jekyll & Hyde. In addition to performing as a headliner on cruises from New Zealand to Norway and solo concerts from Hawaii to Beverly Hills, John is also a set designer and a published playwright represented by Big Dog Publishing, Norman Maine, and Eldridge Publishing. He has a Masters in Music (Vocal Performance) with a Minor in Directing from Florida State University, and a Bachelor of Music (Opera Performance) from Jacksonville University, as well as training in Stage Combat, Fencing, and Sanford Meisner Technique. He has taught private voice and acting at Jacksonville University, Florida State University, and Salt City Performing Arts Centre (NY), among other performing arts institutions.

Deborah Stimson-Snow, Artistic Director, Group Instructor, Choral Director and Private Voice Instructor, has been instrumental in bringing musical productions to our region and supporting the development of Village Productions and the Tri-PAC. She attended the Music Academy of West in Santa Barbara, received a Bachelors of Music from the University of Washington, and a Masters Degree from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. Her vocal awards include first place in local and regional National Federation of Music Clubs competitions, first place in the New Jersey National Association of Teachers of Singing competition, and third place in the East Side Music Festival of Seattle. She has served as Stage and Music Director for a multitude of productions and has appeared in numerous roles in operas, oratorios, and musicals. Examples of her work include, in the opera arena, directing and adapting Humperdink’s HANSEL AND GRETEL, Mozart’s THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO and THE IMPRESARIO, Menotti’s THE TELEPHONE and numerous operatic scenes. Debbie has directed a variety of Broadway musicals as well, including SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM, THE FANTASTICS, FREE TO BE YOU AND ME, ROMANCE ROMANCE, OLIVER!, QUILTERS, and a Gershwin and Porter Review. Debbie was Director of Music for the Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County and for the Media Chamber Chorale for many years. She also has conducted major choral works such as Faure’s REQUIEM, Dvorak’s MASS IN D, Rachmaninoff’s VESPERS, and Haydn’s CREATION. She has taught Music Appreciation and Piano at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia for many years, and maintains a private voice studio in Blue Bell, PA.

Latasha Whitmore, Instructor, is a graduate of Messiah College with a degree in Theatre Arts. Latasha spends most of each year performing as a professional singer/dancer. In one of her most recent shows, she could be seen “pony-ing” her way around North America and Japan on the International Tour of HAIRSPRAY. She just returned from, Arizona where she played the role of Charlaine in AIN’T MISBEHAVIN. Other past professional credits include, AIDA (Nehebkah/Aida), SEUSSICAL (Bird Girl), BIG RIVER (Betsy), and RAGTIME (pas de deux dancer) to name a few. Latasha is also an accomplished dancer and, when not performing, she keeps busy by teaching dance and theatre classes for several studios throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Village Productions/Tri-PAC Staff

Marta Kiesling, Executive Director, is Founder of Village Productions and the Tri-PAC. Prior to leaving the business world to commit full time to Village Productions, Marta was a consultant and benefits attorney with over 16 years of experience in the large consulting firm, law firm and corporate environments. Marta served as Senior Consultant/Benefits Attorney with the Philadelphia office of Mercer Human Resource Consulting (formerly William M. Mercer, Incorporated), a global benefits firm and subsidiary of Marsh McLennan Companies, where she was a key player in developing and managing a nationally recognized health compliance and risk management practice with highly visible local and national corporations. Prior to joining Mercer, Marta was Vice President/Benefits Counsel and Assistant Secretary for Delaware Group (Delaware Management Company, Inc., Delaware Investment Advisors, and the Delaware Group of Funds, now Lincoln Financial Group), a financial institution with a full range of retail, wholesale, and individualized corporate retirement and investment products. Marta began her legal career in 1986 as an Associate with the Philadelphia-based law firm of Pepper, Hamilton & Scheetz (now Pepper Hamilton, LLP). Marta holds a 1986 J.D. degree from Georgetown University Law Center (graduating Cum Laude) and a B.A. in Sociology and American Studies from Dickinson College (graduating Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa with the Senior Prize in Sociology). Marta has vast production experience of large-scale musicals and plays as well as intimate concerts. Performance credits include Mabel in THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE, Adelaide in GUYS AND DOLLS, Fiona in BRIGADOON, Eliza in MY FAIR LADY, Lucy in THE TELEPHONE, Christine in THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, Gianetta in THE GONDOLIERS, and Lily in THE SECRET GARDEN, among many other roles.

Deborah Stimson-Snow, Artistic Director, Group Instructor, Choral Director and Private Voice Instructor, has been instrumental in bringing musical productions to our region and supporting the development of Village Productions and the Tri-PAC. She attended the Music Academy of West in Santa Barbara, received a Bachelors of Music from the University of Washington, and a Masters Degree from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. Her vocal awards include first place in local and regional National Federation of Music Clubs competitions, first place in the New Jersey National Association of Teachers of Singing competition, and third place in the East Side Music Festival of Seattle. She has served as Stage and Music Director for a multitude of productions and has appeared in numerous roles in operas, oratorios, and musicals. Examples of her work include, in the opera arena, directing and adapting Humperdink’s HANSEL AND GRETEL, Mozart’s THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO and THE IMPRESARIO, Menotti’s THE TELEPHONE and numerous operatic scenes. Debbie has directed a variety of Broadway musicals as well, including SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM, THE FANTASTICS, FREE TO BE YOU AND ME, ROMANCE ROMANCE, OLIVER!, QUILTERS, and a Gershwin and Porter Review. Debbie was Director of Music for the Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County and for the Media Chamber Chorale for many years. She also has conducted major choral works such as Faure’s REQUIEM, Dvorak’s MASS IN D, Rachmaninoff’s VESPERS, and Haydn’s CREATION. She has taught Music Appreciation and Piano at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia for many years, and maintains a private voice studio in Blue Bell, PA.

Rebecca Shoemaker, Assistant to the Directors, works in a multitude of administrative and management capacities for Village Productions including handling student inquiries and class registrations, assisting with marketing and development needs, and serving as volunteer coordinator. Rebecca also designs and builds costumes, and is an avid on-stage performer. She has a B.A. in Musical Theater from West Chester University and studies voice with Deborah Stimson-Snow.

Leena Devlin, Production Manager, has been involved in all aspects of theater for more than 25 years, including numerous onstage roles such as Fanny Brice in FUNNY GIRL and Maggie the Cat in CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF. Leena did her undergraduate work at Shenandoah Conservatory of Music in Winchester, VA, and then went to New York and did a two year certificate program at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy. She has spent many years working at various community theaters, most notably serving on the Board at Barley Sheaf Players in Exton, PA. Through her theater career, she has functioned in almost every backstage role including stage manager, producer and director.

Susan Smith, Capital Campaign Manager, is a 1986 graduate of Spring Ford High School where she began pursuing her interests in organizing people, information and "stuff", in general. She attended Katharine Gibbs Business School which helped develop her polished, professional demeanor. After graduating, she spent the next 5 years as a legal assistant to the principals of a commercial real estate law firm. Subsequently, Susan became a personal administrative assistant for a local entrepreneur for 15 years, assisting in establishing, managing and selling an eclectic variety of small businesses and earning the title, "Jack of All Trades". Susan is married and recently retired in order to spend more time focusing on herself and her many creative interests (including award-winning homemade gingerbread houses for the Christmas season). Susan enjoys working with Village Productions/Tri-County Performing Arts Center and hopes to make a valuable contribution to the organization and community.

Linda Powell, Office Administrator, has been Office Manager for Greystone Benefits/Five Station Partners since 1997. Her responsibilities include bookkeeping, using Quickbooks and Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, office management (ordering supplies, computer equipment and software), client database management, client services, producing employee communication and client marketing materials, and updating the company's website. Linda is also very familiar with most of the Microsoft Office software including, Word, Excel, Access, Powerpoint and Publisher. Linda worked in Commerical Property Casualty insurance underwriting before she joined Greystone Benefits.